Electric signal for railways.



PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17.1903.

no MODEL,-

ilbur (1L B 4 A y A UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEIQE.

Patented October 25, 1904,

WILBUR C. LAMPHI'ER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL. FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,080, dated October 25, 1904.

Application filed June 17,1903.

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, WILBUR O. LAMPHIER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Signals for Railways, of which the following is a specification accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same, in which- Figures 1 and 2 are diagrammatic views illustrating the arrangement of contact-points and signal-boxes upon a section of electric railway. Fig. 3 is afront elevation, with the cover," removed, of one of the signal-boxes containing mechanism arranged to be operated by the passage of a car onto or from a block of railway, whereby signal-lights are controlled at the opposite ends of the block; and- Fig. 4 is a detail showing the ratchet device forming a part of the mechanism ofjmy improved signaling apparatus.

Similar figures of reference refer to similar parts in the different views.

The objectof my present invention is to provide a signaling apparatus capable of being brought into action whenever one or more cars enter upon the block, causing the signallights or other suitable signaling devices to be brought into an electric circuit at opposite ends of the block and whereby the circuit is broken when the last car has left the block. Signaling devices are now inuse which are brought into an electric circuit whenever a car enters a given block, and the circuit is broken when the car leaves the block.

It is the purpose of my present invention to provide a cheap and eflicient apparatus which will allow two or more cars to enter a block in succession and complete the circuit as soon as the first car in the series has entered the block and maintain the circuit during the passage of the several cars through the block to be broken only when the last car in the series has left the block.

To accomplish this purpose, my apparatus comprises two separate sets of contactpoints at each end of theblock, one set to be connected by a passing car going in one direction and the otherset by a passing car moving in 5 the opposite direction, a signal-box at each SerialNo. 161,818. (No model.)

i the passing cars.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1 and? are diagrammatic sketches showing a portion of'a track of an electric railway, 1 1 denote posts erected at each endof the block, 2 2 signal-boxes supported thereon, and mountedupon thesignalboxes or otherwise conveniently supported in proximity thereto are a pair of signal-lights, 3 3 denoting red lights and 4 4L denoting white lights.

Thediagrammatic sketches, Figs. and 2,

represent an electric-railway line in which the TDOUXG current for propelling the CELISJS obtained from fill'OVGI'llQfld trolley-wire, and 6 denotes an electric car approaching one end.

usual trolleywheel7. At one end of the block I provide two sets of contacting devices 8 and 9 and at the opposite end of the block two similar sets of-contacting devices 10 and 11, each of said contacting devices consisting of parallel plates arranged on opposite sides of the block, said car being provided with the a of the trolley-wire with their opposing surfaces provided with electric brushes 12, ar-

ranged to strike on opposite sides of the trolley-wheel and complete the circuit of which the brushes are terminals by the passage of the trolley-wheel between them. I arrange two sets of contacting devices at each end of the block on independent trolley-wires arranged to conduct a trolley wheel between one set of contact-brushes as the car moves in one direction and between the other set as the car moves 'in the opposite direction; For example, a car moving in the direction of car 6 will carry its trolley-wheel 7 between the par- I.

allel plates 8 at one end of'the block and the plates 10 at the opposite end, while the car moving in the opposite direction will carry its trolley-wheel between the plates 11 at one v end of the block and the plates 9 at the opposite end of the block, the trolley-Wheel being directed upon the right-hand trolley-wire by means of suitable switching devices such as are in common use in electric railways, but not shown in the drawings.

Each of the signal-boxes 2 2 contains operative mechanism for controlling the signallights, one of said mechanisms being shown in Fig. 3,-which represents signal-box 2 with the cover removed and within which is placed a pair of magnets 13 and 1 1, each comprised in an independent electric circuit, one of said circuits being represented by the wires 15 and 16 and the other circuit by the wires 17 and 18, the electricity for said circuits being supplied from any suitable source, but in the present instance from the batteries 19 and 20. Opposing the magnet 13 is an armature 21, carried upon a sliding bar 22, supported in bearings 23 23, and supported in the same bearings is a similar bar 2 1, provided with an armature 25, opposing the magnet 14. The armatures 21 and 25 are held in their normal position by means of spiral springs 26 and 27, connecting the bars with the fixed bearings. The sliding bar 22 carries a pawl 28, engaging a ratchet-wheel 29, and the bar 24 carries a similar pawl 30, Fig. 1, engaging a ratchet-Wheel 31. The ratchet-wheels 29 and 31, with aconnected intermediate pinion 32, turn upon a fixed stud 33, with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel in mesh with a sliding rack-bar 34, sliding upon a fixed bar and carrying upon its upper side a lug 36, which in its normal or central position is held between the free ends of elastic blades 37 and 38, so that the movement of the rack-bar 34: in either direction from its central position Will carry the lug 36 under one or the other of the elastic blades 37 or 38. The free end of the blade 37 carries an electrical contact ing plate 39, arranged to be brought into contact with a similar contacting plate by the lifting of the free end of the blade 37 as the lug 36 passes beneath it, and in like manner the elastic blade 38 is provided with a contact-plate 4E1, arranged to be carried against a corresponding contact-plate 42 by the lifting of the blade 38 due to the passage of the lug 36 beneath it. The contact-plates 39 and 40 form the terminals of an electric circuit which include the White light 1 at signal-box 2 and the red light 3 at signal-box 2, and the contact-plates 41 and 42 form the terminals of an electric circuit which include the red light 3 at signal-box 2 and the white light 4 at signal-box 2, said circuit being supplied either from the trolley-wire 5, an independent dynamo, or other suitable source of supply. The electric circuits by which the magnets 13 and 14 are energized are connected with the contact devices operated by passing cars at each end of the block, as follows: Magnet 13 is electrically connected with the brushes carried by the plates 8 and 11, and magnet 14: is

connected with the brushes carried by the plates 9 and 10.

The operation of my signaling apparatus is as follows: \Vhen a car moves upon the block in the direction of the car 6, magnet 13 is energized temporarily during the passage of the trolley-wheel 7 beneath the brushes 12 on the plates 8, which attracting its armature 21 moves the sliding bar 22 to rotate the pinion 32 in the direction of the arrow (1, which carries the lug 36 beneath the free end of the elastic blade 37, bringing thecontact-Mates 39 and 10 together and completing the circuit which includes the red light 3 on box 2' and the white light 4 on box 2, thereby indicating that a car has entered upon the block at the end provided with a white light and moving in the direction of the end of the block provided with ared light. Asecoud, third, or fourth car following car 6 will simply repeat the operation of moving the rack-bar 3st in the direction to carry its lug 36 still farther under the clastic blade 37. As each ear leaves the block and passes the contacting devices at the opposite end the trolley-wheel will be carried between the plates 10 and energize magnet 14, which, attracting its armature 25, moves the sliding bar 24 and reverses the pinion 32 and rackbar 341 to again withdraw the lug 36 from beneath the elastic blade 37 into its normal central position, as shown in Fig. 3, when the contact-plates 39 and 40 will be separated by the elasticity of the blade 37 breaking the circuit, including the red light 3 and the white light 1, showing that the last of the four cars has left the block. In a similar manner the red light 3 and the white light/4E are operated by cars passing in the opposite direction and completing the electric circuits at the terminals carried by the plates 11 and 9.

By my improved signaling apparatus the movement of a single car upon the block in either direction is suificient to bring a pair of signal-lights into an electric circuit-namely, a white light at the end of the block upon which the car enters and a red light at the opposite end of the block. The passage of succeeding cars upon the block maintains the signal-lights in the circuit by moving the rackbar 3 1 beneath one of the electric blades carrying the contact-plates, and the movement of the rack-bar is reversed by a step-by-step movement as the cars successively leave the block.

I have illustrated my improved signaling apparatus as applied to an electric railway ha ving an overhead trolley with contact-ln'ushes arranged to be electrically connected by the passage of a trolley-wheel between them. This method of energizing the magnets of the signal, however, forms no part of my present invention, as any of the now-practiced methods of completing a circuit by a passing car may be employed, and other known methods may be employed to adapt my signaling apparatus for use upon other railways than electric or upon electric railways which have no overhead trolley-wire.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 'is V 1. In a railway-signal, the combination with a signaling device forming part of an electric circuit,of a pair of contact-surfaces included in said circuit and held in a fixed position, a pair of elastic blades having one end fixed, a pair of contact-surfaces carried by the free ends of said elastic blades and arranged to contact with said fixed contacting surfaces, a sliding bar, a lug on said sliding bar and means controlled by a passing car foractuating said sliding bar in order to carry said lug beneath the free end of one or the other of said elastic hlades' 2. In a railway-signal, the combination with a signaling device forming part of an electric circuit, a fixed contacting surface included in said circuit, a second contacting surface included in said circuit, an elastic blade having one end fixed and supporting said second contacting surface on its free end, a sliding bar, a lug carried on said bar and means controlled bya passing car for moving said lug beneath the free end of said elastic blade.

3. In a railway-signal, the combination with a signaling device forming part of an electric circuit, of a fixed contact-surface included in said circuit, an elastic blade having one end fixed, a second contact-surface carried by the free end of said blade and arranged to contact with said fixed contacting surface, a rack-bar carrying a lug, a pinion engaging said rackbar, a ratchet-wheel attached to said pinion, a sliding bar provided with an armature, a pawl carried by said sliding bar and engaging said ratchet-wheel to move it in one direction,

a signaling device forming part of an electric circuit, a fixed contact-plate included in said circuit, a blade-spring held at one end, a contact-plate carried by its free 'end, a sliding bar provided with a lug arranged to be car'- ried under said blade-spring and bring said plates into contact, and means for moving said sliding bar into contact with said blade-spring and carrying said plates into contact, and comprising a magnet, and means for energizing said magnet by a passing car, substantially as described,

5. In a railway-signal, the combination with a signaling device forming part of an electric circuit, comprising terminals normally held out of contact, of actuating mechanism for bringing said terminals into contact and consisting of a sliding rack-bar provided with a lug adapted to engage a terminal on one or the other of said pairs of terminals, a rotating pinion engaging said rack-bar, a pair of reversed ratchet-wheels attached to said pinion, means for actuating one of said ratchet-wheels in one direction and means for actuating the second ratchet-wheel in the opposite direction comprising actuating-pawls, sliding bars carrylng said pawls, magnets controlled by a passing car for moving said sliding bars, and,

springs for reversing the'movement of said sliding bars.

Dated this 9th day of June, 1903.

VVILBUR C. LAMPHIER. 

